Arsene Wenger knows as well as anyone that lots can change in the space of two decades.
Having just reached the 20th anniversary of his appointment as Arsenal boss, the 66-year-old followed Friday morning’s training session by giving a Facebook Live interview with BT Sport – something that wouldn’t have been on the agenda in September 1996.
Before answering questions from supporters, Wenger was asked for his thoughts on social media by host, Jake Humphrey. Despite explaining that it can lead to “emotional excesses”, the Frenchman was clear that its positives outweigh its negatives, pointing out that it allows supporters to be better informed and contributes to the popularity of the sport.
But Wenger’s opinions on social media and football weren’t done there. Not by a long way.
Wenger on BT Sport's Facebook page has just advocated supporters one day voting for substitutions via social media. Blimey.
— Andrew Allen (@AAllenSport) September 23, 2016
Looking to the future, Wenger goes on to suggest that the “interactive world” may be used to have a say on elements of a tea
“What would be interesting, maybe in the future the interactive world could have a bigger influence on team selection,” Wenger says.
Asked by Humphrey if that meant selecting the whole team, Wenger elaborates.
“Maybe the fans would have the right to make a substitution at half-time or they would have a right to bring a player on in the last 20 minutes.”
Humphrey then questions whether such a change could ever happen.
“Why not?” Wenger responds. “You cannot rule it out completely. Maybe you have a right for a selection of a team in 20 years. Who knows? If you look back 20 years, you cannot rule it out.”
